Meghan Corridan, Pediatric Occupational Therapist

This time last year, all my work was being done remotely and one of the things I missed most of all was all the hands-on craft activities, especially the Mother's Day projects. I am going all out this year and using my leftover Paper Source Valentine's Day hearts and Meri Meri stickers. I love seeing the final products and hearing all the things the kids have to say about why they love their moms. I hope these put a bit of a smile on your face! **tip for making these last longer: once completed, I put them through my laminator! #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #mothersday2021 #mothersday #makelearningfun #finemotorskills #grasping #manipulationskills #craftingwithkids #ooly #merimeriparty #toddler #preschool #schoolage

Living and working in NYC, I think it’s so important to teach kids about diversity at an early age. In my private practice, I think it’s critical to expose my kids to materials that will also encourage diversity. I am obsessed with the My Family Builders set that i picked up from @normanandjules. These magnetic wooden blocks also work on improving bilateral coordination , hand eye coordination, fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills. #toddler #preschool #schoolage #makelearningfun #diversity #diversityandinclusion #myfamilybuilders #finemotorskillsplay #bilateralcoordination #handeyecoordination #graspingskills #openendedplay #blocks #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapy

You know you're an occupational therapist when even your puppy is obsessed with the latest in fidget toys. Looked over last night and my dog had collected as many fidget toys as she could and brought them to her bed. I finally caved and let her keep one! I've been keeping one of these fidget toys close-by during my zoom meetings. I am finding that it's extremely helpful for my focus and attention to have one of these to keep my hands busy. #fidgettoys #popfidget #sensoryprocessing #sensoryactivities #stressreliever #OccupationalTherapyMonth #occupationaltherapy #finemotorskills #manipulationskills #preschool #toddler #schoolage #focus #attention #busyhands #makelearningfun

I have loved Highlights for Children Hidden Picture puzzles since my own childhood. I have used them a lot over the last year as they had been really great for when I was doing a lot more remote sessions. My little friend pictured here is obsessed with our newest long-term occupational therapy project: completing the Longest Hidden Picture Puzzle Ever! Did you know that hidden picture puzzles work on so many occupational therapy goals? Kids don't realize that they are working... on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills, improving visual tracking and visual attention, encourages paying attention to details and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and task completion. Additionally, kids build up their confidence and self-esteem as they successfully find all the hidden objects. #OccupationalTherapyMonth #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #hiddenpictures #highlightshiddenpictures #preschool #schoolage #confidence #selfesteem #focus #attention #executivefunctioningskills #visualattention #visualperception #visualtracking #makelearningfun #attentiontodetail

Tuesday Tip: Don't throw away those broken crayons! Actually, broken crayons are so much better for little fingers as they encourage a proper grip for younger children during coloring and drawing activities. Coloring with broken crayons is also great for children who have decreased grasp strength and manipulation skills. Using broken crayons prevents children from using a fisted grasp and more naturally puts kids in a tripod like grasp. If you have a child who shows resistanc...e to coloring with broken crayons, make a game out of it. Go buy a brand new box of crayons and break them into little pieces. Also, if your child gets upset with broken crayons, don't have big crayons out for them to see. I actually encourage all parents and teachers of toddlers to only have small crayons, pencils, etc. available to their kids as it helps encourage a proper pencil grip at a younger age. #OccupationalTherapyMonth #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #finemotorskills #graspingskills #manipulationskills #coloring #prewritingskills #toddler #toddlerlife #brokencrayonsstillcolor #brokencrayons #makelearningfun

I shared a similar infographic last year when the pandemic began and it was a huge hit. I stumbled upon this one shared by Penguinni and wanted to share it with all of you. With all these April showers, I am finding my kids aren't getting as much movement as they need to and are becoming a bit more wild or disregulated. I love the simplicity of this 7-minute workout and how much sensory input it can provide your child, especially if they are still spending a lot of time doing... virtual school or therapy. This is something that I have also shared with a lot of the teachers I work with this year as it is an easy workout that can be done from a desk and still maintain social distancing. Not only are kids getting some much needed sensory input from this quick workout, they are working on improving gross motor skills, endurance, bilateral coordination, motor planning and motor organizational skills. Let's not forget just how important movement is for learning and even during this crazy time, we have to provide little bodies with movement opportunities throughout the school day. #NationalOccupationalTherapyMonth #OccupationalTherapyMonth #occupationaltherapy #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #makelearningfun #movementmatters #preschool #schoolage #grossmotorskills #bilateralcoordination #endurance #coordination #motorplanning #motororganization #sensoryinput #workout #7minuteworkout

In honor of Occupational Therapy Month, I am going to share some of my favorite toys. Sometimes it's the simplest tools that can have so much therapeutic value. In the last few years, I have been adding a lot more open ended toys to my work. I have been using these peg dolls from Teeny Weeny Toys for years. If you zoom in, you can see the accompanying boxes on the radiator. These are great for learning colors, matching, sorting and teaching concepts such as big, little, etc. ...I switched things up a bit yesterday with my little friend and had him put the dolls on the matching rainbow tray while working on building up that upper body strength while on the net swing. My favorite thing about this activity is that as soon as he was done sorting the dolls, he asked if he could just play with them for a bit. Wooden toys can be more expensive but I have found that they are worth the investment and that if you spend some time thinking about it, there are SO many uses and activities that can be done with them. And they are not just for young children. I have seen some of my older kids engage in open-ended play for such a long time when provided with the right kinds of materials. #OccupationalTherapyMonth #occupationaltherapy #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #rainbow #makelearningfun #toddler #preschool #schoolage #openendedplay #upperbodystrengthening #swings #finemotorskills #colors #sorting #matching

Today's gift suggestion is great for the little ones on your shopping list. The Lalaboom pegboard is one of my new favorite tools for the gym. Unlike traditional pegboards where you push the peg in/pull the peg out, you have to twist these beads on and off the board. This set comes with 1 pegboard, 5-double sided cards and 10 beads of various colors and textures. One of the things that I love about this company and these products is that they about how toys can grown with th...e children. For babies, just being able to play and manipulate the beads is the purpose. As they get older, around 18 months, the goal is for kids to be able to screw and unscrew the beads into the matching colors on the board. This toy works on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, visual motor and visual perceptual skills., encourages bilateral and hand-eye coordination and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, problem solving and organizational skills. A bonus is that they are safe for teething babies to chew on and easy to clean. For more ideas, be sure to check out my complete gift guide linked below. https://macandtoys.blogspot.com//2020-holiday-gift-guides- #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #2020HolidayGiftGuide #2020holidays #visualmotorskills #visualperceptualskills #handeyecoordination #creativity #imagination #openendedplay #problemsolving #criticalthinking #toys #preschool #schoolage #manipulationskills #bilateralcoordination #toddlers

Starting today, I will be featuring a toy from my gift guides and why I chose them. I am starting with this beautiful set of blocks from Hope Learning Toys. Created from birch and oak trees from the creators own yard in Maine, this 30-piece set comes in a homemade woven basket for easy storage. The blocks come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are sealed with beeswax to ensure safety. Using blocks encourages children to explore, create and use their imagination while prom...oting visual motor and perceptual skills, problem solving and critical thinking skills. For more ideas about what to get your children this holiday season, check out my complete blog linked below. https://macandtoys.blogspot.com//2020-holiday-gift-guides- #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #2020HolidayGiftGuide #2020holidays #visualmotorskills #visualperceptualskills #handeyecoordination #creativity #imagination #openendedplay #problemsolving #criticalthinking #toys #preschool #schoolage

I am getting this out here just in time for the holidays to officially kick off. This year's list is a little different from those in the past in that I put more time into finding gifts that would grow with their kids. I was also mindful about sharing gifts this year that were more sensory and provided more hands-on learning opportunities since another concern parents had this year was to limit the gifts that they purchased that would have them on a screen of some sort. Anoth...er aspect of all these toys is that they can be used in multiple ways in order to work on a variety of skills based on what your child's interests and developmental needs might be. The last thing I wanted to include were open-ended toys that allow children to use their creativity and imagination instead of having to follow exact rules and expectations. I have found that in the last several months that kids are feeling a lack of control (rightly so) and that during my sessions I want to provide the comfort of providing them with structure and routine while also giving them choices at the same time. Hope Learning Toys, Rose & Rex, Norman & Jules, Melissa & Doug, Fat Brain Toys, Lalaboom, Magna-Tiles by Valtech, Tegu and Kid Made Modern are just a few of my favorite stores and toy companies. So many of the items on this year's toys and such gift guides are from these places and are favorites of not only me but the kids who I work with who have tested them all out for me. Don't forget to check out your local toy stores as many of the items can be found there. With all the chaos going on with USPS and UPS deliveries, you can always count on your local stores for your gift buying this year. In NYC and Brooklyn, I rely on Norman & Jules, Little Things Toy Store, Stationery and Toy World, West Side Kids, LuLu's Cuts & Toys, Mary Arnold Toys and Kidding Around.

I really wish I knew about the benefits of open-ended play years ago when my own daughter was younger. I love all the products from Hope Learning Toys and how they encourage open-ended play through a variety of sensory, nature based materials. I am about to post my last holiday gift guide and there will be many open-ended toys. In the meantime, here's a throwback gift guide from a few years ago with some of my favorite opened ended gift suggestions. https://macandtoys.blogspot.com//2018-holiday-gift-guide-o

What a great graphic to explain sensory processing disorders in children.

Stumbled upon this and couldn’t love it more. Pretty much sums up my remote therapy work these last 6 months. Working with pre-schoolers amd younger elementary kids has been hilarious and exhausting and has made me even more grateful for being able to be treat in-person more often than not these days. What’s been your craziest remote therapy story? I’ve been dragged into the bathroom multiple times because kids didn’t want to miss a moment of their session! #remotelearning #distancelearning #remotetherapy #teletherapy #occupationaltherapy #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #preschool #schoolage

Hot off the press...here is my 2020 Stocking Stuffers and Small Stuff Gift Guide. This is one of my favorite gift guides to put together and includes some of my favorite work toys, crafts and games. I worked very hard to put together as many gifts as possible that you can buy in local and small gift and toy stores. There are so many fun gift suggestions here that kids love and encourage so many occupaitonal therapy and developmental goals without the kids even knowing that t...hey are "working". Hope Learning Toys, TWEE, Crazy Aaron's Puttyworld, Kid Made Modern, Crayola, Jaq Jaq Bird, OOLY and Relevant Play have some of my most favorite products that work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves visual motor and perceptual skills, encourages focus, attention, organization and play skills and so much more. I was very mindful about choosing products that I have purchased locally from some of my favorite Brooklyn and Manhattan based toy and gift stores. Shopping locally is more critical this year than ever before for these shop owners. Some of my favorite places are: Norman & Jules, Pink Olive - unique gifts for happiness and home, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, LuLu's Cuts & Toys, Little Things Toy Store, Stationery and Toy World, West Side Kids, Mary Arnold Toys, Kidding Around. What are your favorite toy/gift stores and where are they located?

Since re-organizing my closet at work, I am pulling out all kinds of fun things that I forgot that I had. I had purchased these WooTherapy tape roles before the pandemic and never really had a chance to use them. With so many children working on tablets and computers, the opportunity to work on actual handwriting is decreasing and there are many parents who are concerned about that. Using a worksheet from Tools to Grow, Inc., my little friend worked on his handwriting skills. I have a feeling that I will have to get very creative this year with handwriting activities and WooTherapy tape is a great tool for both in-person and remote therapy. They come in three different sizes depending on your child's age and handwriting abilities.

Just a few minutes into the new school year with my own daughter, I am already seeing the anxiety creeping in about all the new and different expectations. I know she is not alone so I feel compelled to share this with you all because we are all learning alongside our kids this year. Here are some suggestions on how we can talk to our children when we see the anxiety starting to creep up on them. #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #socialemotionallearning #anxiety #mindfulness #distancelearning #preschool #schoolage

Start of the school year crafts look a bit different this year. First things, first, I am so proud of my little friends who have been so flexible and tolerated all the changes in our gym. For those of you who worry about kids wearing masks, don't worry. They get it is important and only a temporary thing and are SO happy to be back to one of their favorite places. My project this week with kids will be making mask lanyards. I have collected lots of fun beads, including some ...really good letter beads, and every kid gets to make their own lanyard. This is not only great for keeping track of your mask wherever you are but works on a ton of critical occupational therapy skills. My friend here started with making a pattern which is great for working on visual motor and perceptual skills, focus, attention and organization skills. This is also a fabulous activity to work on developing grasping and fine motor skills. See more

I am finding immense pleasure and comfort in some of my new work toys. Look at how beautiful this wooden number tray set that I picked up from Rose & Rex is and how it pairs so beautifully it pairs with the Oioiooi Number Blocks set from Norman & Jules. I am obsessed with multi-sensory learning and think it's even more important with this unconventional school year.

Starting the new school year off with some new toys. Who doesn't love a rainbow? I have been obsessed with this rainbow toy from Rose & Rex for ages but needed a reason to buy it. This is such an awesome and easy to clean toy that works on so many developmental goals. I chose to use a set of chopsticks from another game to work on grasping skills with my little friend but for younger children having them pick them up with their fingers. Great for working on improving hand-eye coordination, visual tracking, matching and executive functioning skills just as focus, attention and organizational skills. #makelearningfun #rainbows #finemotorskills #graspingskills #visualmotorskills #visualtracking #matching #preschool #schoolage #executivefunctioningskills #focus #attention #organization #roseandrex

I shared my 8 Suggestions for a Successful Online Sessions infographic that I created with the assistance of my husband and daughter last week and the response was overwhelming. Today, I share my first blog of this new school year that goes into greater detail about each of those suggestions. Starting the year off with clear expectations and solid routines will not only be helpful for your child, but it will be helpful for your. We all know so much more now than we did in March and I am so ready to tackle whatever comes my way this school year.

Happy Friday! It's been a doozy of a day with Zoom meetings with parents, teachers and school administrators and one thing that was pretty consistent was the concern about kids getting the amount of movement and stimulation they need to help with learning. There is no doubt in my mind that we are going to be seeing an increase in sensory seeking behaviors in this new school environment. There are a lot of natural movement opportunities such as transitioning to other classes f...or lunch and specials that are going to be eliminated. Building in time for brain and body breaks is going to be crucial for academic success for kids while they adjust to social distancing in a school setting this school year. This infograph from American Heart Association has some really fabulous activities that can be done in the classroom while remaining in your own space bubble. #makelearningfun #brainbreaks #bodybreaks #covid19 #preschool #schoolage #attention #focus #socialdistancing #grossmotor

I am so proud to work with the incredible therapists at Heads Up Therapy. We are open and taking every precaution to keep our families safe during this crazy time. If you or anyone you know is looking for in-person (or remote) services, do not hesitate contacting us.

Here in NYC, schools opening is causing a lot of stress and anxiety for both kids and parents. There are still so many questions and things up in the air. No matter how much we try and prepare our kids for this upcoming school year, there is so much that we don't know and certainly won't know how they will handle some of the changes that have to take place if going back into school. One thing that I think will be very helpful for all of us is to talk to our kids about their c...oncerns and develop some positive coping skills for when they are feeling sad, scared or anxious. Help them label their feelings and make sure that they know they are not alone and the way they are feeling is normal. I truly believe that social emotional health will be the key to a successful school year for so many. My daughter loves to draw when she's feeling anxious or upset so when we set up her learning station at home, I will be sure to have a little pad set up for her to doodle on during the school day. I love this poster from Verywell that shows all different coping strategies for not just kids, but their grownups who will also be navigating a whole lot of new things this school year. Yoga, playing a favorite family game and reading are just a few more examples of ways to cope with stress and anxiety. What is your coping strategy when feeling stressed? #remotelearning #distancelearning #socialemotionallearning #copingskills #yoga #crafting #reading #mindfulness #makelearningfun #feelings #anxiety #backtoschool

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you will know of my obsession with any and all things OOLY. While doing some shopping last week, I discovered their new I Heart Erasable Crayons and my occupational therapy heart kinda exploded. These little crayons are the perfect size for little hands and encourage a nice tripod like grasp. I love how you can twist the crayons to switch shapes and work on improving bilateral coordination. I also find that kids really like when they can erase their work when they feel like they have made a mistake. #ooly #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #makelearningfun #graphomotorskills #bilateralcoordination #handeyecoordination

Nothing makes me more happy than to see kids enjoying the toys that I love. These alphabet blocks that I picked up from Norman & Jules have been a huge hit with my kids. They love matching the pieces with the letters and I love watching them interact and play with them once they are put together. It's been great how these blocks have motivated even my most reluctant of learners to practice writing the letters. Here my friend is using my favorite letter writing app, LetterScho...ol and then practicing writing the letters using a Boogie Board. These blocks were a pandemic splurge and I am already seeing how well worth the investment was. Not only are they great for letter recognition, they can be used to work on improving fine motor, visual and executive functioning skills. #makelearningfun #alphabet #visualmotorskills #visualperceptualskills #handeyecoordination #executivefunctioningskills #focus #attention #organizationalskills #bilateralcoordination #preschool #schoolage #makelearningfun #graphomotorskills #handwriting #letterschool #boogieboard #normanandjules